Ice-creeper



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ICE GREEPER.

No. 418.830. Patented Jan. 7, 1890,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALVIN VOORHIS AND WILLIAM EDWARD STARR, or CRANFORD, New JERsEY,

I CE-CREEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 418,830, dated January7, 1890. Application filed July 12 1889. Serial No. 317,368. (No model.)

,To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that We, CALVIN VOORHIS and WILLIAM EDWARD STARE, citizensof the United States, and residents of Cranford, in

the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Ice-Creepers, of which the following is aspecification.

. Our invention relates to improvements in to creepersintended moreespecially for use on icy surfaces, the object being to provide aninexpensive, reliable, easilyadjusted, and comfortable set of spurs orcalks which will take a firm hold of such said surfaces in 15 Whateverposition the foot may naturally be placed during the process oflocomotion; and it consists in attaching independent plates, with calksor spurs formed on them, to both the heel and sole of a shoe or boot, ashereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view of a rubber shoe havingour improved creepers attached. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the heeland sole of same. Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the heel portion ofsame, showing the rear portion of the heel formed into a cushion,against the forward edge of which the rear portion of the heel-plateabuts.

The letter A in the drawings represents a B is its heel; O, a portion ofsaid heel formed into a cushion; D, the sole; E, the heel-plate, and Fthe toe-plate.

The heel B has attached to its face a metal plate E by means of rivets,screws, or clamps,

3 5 (the latter may be formed from and'integral with the plate,) whichfastenings pass through the body of said heel. Said plate issubstantially rectangular in shape, having two parallel straight edges,which are bent at about a right angle to the body of the plate, bothedges being bent in the same direction, thus forming calks or spurs. Theother two edges, for the purpose of decreasing weight, are out orhollowed out, as shown. This plate is 5 placed on the heel with the tworows of calks or spurs running transversely across the full width ofsaid heel. One row of said calks or spurs rests adjacent and parallel tothe front edge of the heel, while the other row rests against the faceof a cushion formed and de pending from and integral with the rearporattached a plate F, substantially oblong in shape, but which, as incase of the heel-plate, to lessen weight, may be cut orhollowed out, asshown by broken lines at a in Fig. 2. This plate has only one edge bentto form a calk or spurs, and is placed about midway between 6 5 the balland toe portions of the sole, with the bent edge forward and runningtransversely across the full width of the sole at that point. It may beseen on referring to F, Fig. 1, that with the toe-plate so placed theweight of a person standing in the shoe rests not on the calk, but(exclusive of the heel) entirely on the ball of the shoe. Consequentlythere can be no obstruction or inconvenience felt from the presence ofthe plate. If said person starts to walk, the heel will naturally beraised and the toe depressed, when immediately the toe-calk F bites intothe surface, remaining so while the foot takes a rocking motion over itin the act of advancing the opposite foot forward. The said toe plate orcreeper is fastened to the shoe or boot in a manner similar to theheel-plate before mentioned, and it maybe noticed that when in useeither creeper is always biting into the surface except when the foot isentirely raised, as in walking, in which case the creepers on the otherfoot are performing the duty required. The bent edges of the plates maybe formed into continuous calks or serrated to form teeth or spurswhich, running transversely across the entire width of the sole andheel, impart stability and freedom from a sidewise rolling motion of thefoot, as well as a sure foothold and confidence to the wearer whentraversing the most glassy surface. Being permanently attached toovershoes, no adjusting straps or clamps are required, as in detachablecreepers, thus rendering them adjustable for use in a fraction of thetime required by the latter, while if used on a wet icy or snowy surfacethe benefit of their combination with rubber shoes or boots is apparent.The creepers also serve to protect the sole and heel of the shoe or bootfrom Wearing away, and in case the said creepers wear out before theshoe or boot a new setof the same can be expeditiously and economicallysubstituted.

lVe elaim- The combination, with a rubber shoe or boot, of a creeperpermanently attached to its heel, and an abutment on the heel in therear thereof, said creeper having two or more rows of calks or spursrunning across the full width of said heel, and a creeper similarlyattached to the sole of said shoe or boot at a CALVIN VOORHIS. XVILLIAMEDYVARD STARR.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES BARR, 0. I5. IIARTOUGH.

